


Barnaby Meets Elliot

by Treasure_of_the_Rudras



Category: World of Warcraft
Genre: Blood Elves, Draenei, Gen, Original Character(s), Sin'dorei
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-11
Updated: 2018-03-11
Packaged: 2019-03-29 17:25:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,458
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13931790
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Treasure_of_the_Rudras/pseuds/Treasure_of_the_Rudras
Summary: A short vignette in which my draenei vindicator, Barnaby, encounters Elliot, my blood elf priest.





	Barnaby Meets Elliot

Barnaby squinted at the small, unconscious blood elf tucked in his bed.

A low sound of displeasure rumbled in his throat. Whatever was he going to do with the boy? He’d found the lad a prisoner, in the possession of the bandits he’d been tracking for the last several days. The boy had been poorly treated, but he still wore the ornate vermillion and gold robes of a priest of the sin’dorei. He had most likely been captured for ransom.

Still… blood elves were a rare sight in Redridge. The presence of one sin’dorei surely indicated more. What were their intentions here, in Barnaby’s woods? It was possible that they were searching for their missing young comrade, even now...

Barnaby’s tail lashed at the thought. Such a bother. He’d carried the injured lad with him back to his cabin, thinking to tend to his wounds there. It had been easy; the boy had fainted at the sight of him. Or perhaps he was overcome with exhaustion. Either way, Barnaby had taken care of the worst of his bruises, bandaged him up, and tucked him into his own bed, where the little elf had slept since.

_Perhaps the smell of food will wake him,_ Barnaby thought, with another contemplative wave of his tail. His pet house cat, an all-black feline named Soots, pattered into the room to rub herself against Barnaby’s ankles. Then she hopped up onto the bed to settle next to the boy, meowing plaintively.

Barnaby frowned. “He isn’t staying,” he grumped at the cat, which ignored him to curl up on the pillow next to the boy’s blonde, fluffy hair. The draenei scowled even harder at the adorable sight, then rose to thump his way into the kitchen in a sour mood. _What do blood elves even eat..._

***

Elliot awoke from bad dreams, his head swimming with pain and confusion. The last he could remember, something had thrown the bandits who’d captured him into disarray. It had resembled an armored knight... but it had been larger than life, monstrous...

Shaken, Elliot moved a hand to rub the sleep out of his eyes. It gradually dawned on him that he didn’t know where he was. He was lying in a strange bed he didn’t recognize.

The priest glanced around the room as he tried to get his bearings. Rain tapped against the window, and muted, overcast daylight filtered through. The bed he was in was larger than a king size, with vast pillows a soft quilted coverlet. A black cat slept in one corner. Elliot couldn’t remember tucking himself into the bed, but this was the way he awoke. The walls of the room were made of hewn logs, and the wood furniture was similarly rustic. The dimensions of the room and furniture were curiously oversized, but otherwise, all seemed peaceful and in order.

On the nightstand next to the bed, someone had left a plate with a few buttered slices of seed bread, an apple, and a glass of water. The presence of food caused Elliot to realize how hungry and dehydrated he was, and he shifted over towards the edge of the bed. It occurred to him then that his wrists were no longer bound, and the cuts and bruises he’d endured at the hands of the bandits had been cleaned and wrapped.

Elliot mused wonderingly at this turn of events as he reached for the water. He’d drank it halfway down when he heard a faint snore behind him. Elliot turned his head, then stared, his mouth falling open.

Seated on the other side of the bed in a massive chair made of cut logs, breathing in the slow cadence of sleep, was an enormous, humanoid creature. Elliot was at a complete loss as to what he was looking at for several moments. He realized then, by the jutting crest and long tendrils, that it must be one of the fabled Draenei.

Elliot couldn’t recall seeing a draenei in his life before. Certainly, he’d never been this close. The draenei was massively built, with a barrel torso, arms like small trees, and hands the size of dinner plates. He had marble-white skin, and his hair was coal-black and short. Black stubble peppered his chin, and black hair covered the backs of his arms. His great size only enhanced the image of physical power he conveyed. The draenei wore an ordinary-looking flannel shirt and trousers, a far cry from the magnificent, gleaming suits of armor and splendid robes his people were known to adorn themselves in.

At the moment, his eyes were closed in sleep, giving him a look of vulnerability that Elliot found at odds with his imposing stature. His breath rumbled out in faint little snores.

Elliot looked down at the floor, and was intrigued and delighted to find that the draenei’s feet were, in fact, giant hooves. He’d never gotten a clear look at a draenei’s hooves before. They resembled the feet of a giant ox.

_‘An ox seems to describe you well...’_ the elf smirked, looking the snoozing draenei up and down. Now that he was beginning to realize this draenei might be his caretaker, his fear abated somewhat. Elliot picked up the plate, taking the opportunity to munch on the buttered bread and apple.

He was half-finished with the apple when the large man’s snoring was interrupted, and his brow twitched. Quickly Elliot put the plate back where he’d found it and slid back under the covers, pretending to be asleep. Through one eye cracked open slightly, he watched as the draenei awoke with a snort, then stretched his brawny arms with an enormous yawn.

***

Barnaby took his time stretching and cracking his neck. When he was finished, he rose from his chair and strode over to the bed to examine his guest, his shadow falling over the little elf.

Elliot put up the best pretense of being asleep that he could. He didn’t feel ready to face this giant - Perhaps he could sneak out the door after he’d left the room. He had no idea how large this cabin was, or indeed where he was, but surely, he could take his chances…

Barnaby frowned at the sleeping visage of the elf. The boy had been asleep for several hours, and he’d begun to worry about his little guest, despite himself. He flicked his tail in idle thought, and was turning to leave, when he noticed the plate of half-eaten food.

Well, now. Clearly his guest had been conscious at some point. Barnaby squinted harder at the elf, and saw the boy’s Adam’s Apple bob in a nervous swallow. Frown deepening, he turned to position his chair at the side of the bed. He settled himself back down on it slowly, folding his arms over the back of it, staring at Elliot as he did so.

Elliot heard the ominous creak of the chair as the draenei parked himself at the bedside. His breathing escaped in a way he knew was too quick to be mistaken for sleep, but he couldn’t bring himself to open his eyes.

Seeing the elf’s fearful reaction caused Barnaby to speak more softly than he otherwise might have. There was little he could do about the deep quality of his voice, however. “Oi, Elf. You do not have to fake sleep. No one will hurt you, while you are here.”

Though Elliot still felt anxious, he slowly opened his eyes. Nervously, he met the draenei’s gaze. Elliot could understand Common well enough, but the other man was still frowning, and his brows were drawn together. On such a large man, it was quite intimidating, and Elliot wriggled further under the blankets, momentarily at a loss for words. The black cat at the foot of the bed padded up to him to demand head scratches, which eased his nervousness somewhat.

Barnaby sighed. “I’m not going to hurt you, Boy, but I’d like to know what a blood elf is doing on my land.”

_Boy?_ Elliot thought to himself as a small frown formed on his lips. “I’m not a child. I have a name.” The priest curbed his irritation as the draenei raised a brow. “--But I appreciate you getting me away from those savages.”

Barnaby waved an enormous hand in dismissal. “It’s nothing. The raiders don’t do anyone here a lick of good.” His eyes met Elliot’s, and he resumed his inquiring look. “...It’s not often they have a blood elf with them, though…”

“What are you suspicious of?” Elliot frowned, catching on to the other man’s mistrust. He replied somewhat defensively, “I think I am allowed to travel where the road takes me, if I should see fit.”

The rumbling noise of displeasure that emanated from the draenei told Elliot that he’d most certainly said the wrong thing.

“Why _should_ I trust a blood elf?” Barnaby growled. He reined his annoyance in somewhat as the elf flinched, but his brooding scowl remained. “Do not think I’ve so quickly forgotten the reception your kind gave us, when we landed on Azuremyst!”

“I had nothing to do with that!” Elliot cried. He struggled to sit up in bed. Hearing the massive draenei draw a furious inhale of breath through his nose, he pleaded, “It was wrong, what the sin’dorei did to your people. I wasn’t a part of that, but… it was wrong, and the sin’dorei have done many things that I wish we hadn’t.”

This answer seemed to mollify the draenei. He blew his breath out in a long exhale and looked away, his jaw working.

Elliot decided to take the opportunity to properly introduce himself. He pulled the black cat that had been rubbing against his arm closer towards himself, and petted it. “...I know it’s rare to find a sin’dorei this far south,” he offered, smiling in a way he hoped was disarming. “But I have no ill intentions towards you, or anyone else here. I’m Elliot Goldleaf… A priest of the Light.”

At the revelation that the scarlet-robed young man was a priest, Barnaby turned his head back towards Elliot slowly, appraising him.

“They say the Draenei are very close to the Light, don’t they?” Elliot offered further. He could sense that the large man was weighing him for some quality. He continued stroking the cat’s fur, causing it to purr happily. “I’ve never seen a draenei up close before, but… I’ve heard the stories. They say you are a noble race, filled with the Light.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Barnaby gestured dismissively, but he couldn’t entirely hide his pleasure at the words. The elf was also looking rather adorable to him at the moment, stroking Soots’s fur with a peaceful smile on his lips, his blonde hair tousled and soft. _Don’t get attached._ Barnaby shook his head. “Elliot, is it?” He stiffly extended a hand to the boy. “Barnaby.”

Elliot blinked, then reached upwards to shake the large man’s hand. His own hand was engulfed completely in the draenei’s palm. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Sir Barnaby.”

“No need for the ‘Sir’,” Barnaby grunted, although again, he looked more mollified than annoyed. He folded his arms over the back of his chair once more. “And these stories you’ve heard are largely true. Draenei have a close relationship to the Light. Not all of us, but…”

“What about you?” Elliot inquired, before Barnaby could finish his thought.

Barnaby awkwardly looked away, scratching a sideburn. “...I’m a bit of an odd case, as it were.” He glanced back towards Elliot with a frown. “I think I was the one asking questions, young Elliot.”

“What do you mean, an odd case? I’ve never met a draenei before. I’d like to know more.” Elliot pushed the black cat’s tail away from his face. “Isn’t it unusual for a draenei to be living out in the woods?”

“I like the woods.” Barnaby scowled, unsure how to handle the little elf’s curiosity. “And you ask too many questions. Answer my question first. What are you doing out this way?”

The draenei watched as the elf slowly grew more downcast and despondent. Elliot lowered his eyes, choosing instead to focus on his slender hands petting Barnaby’s cat. After a long moment of silence, Elliot finally responded, “...I’m… looking for my parents.”

Barnaby’s brows raised. Elliot gripped the quilted blanket he was sitting under. “They… went missing two months ago.” He swallowed. “...Well, they were… exiled… I guess you could say.”

The priest laughed humorlessly. But then he started to shake, and his laughter turned into grief-stricken sobs.

Barnaby clucked to himself as the elf started crying. _Shit..._ “Sa, sa, Elliot…” The boy looked so terribly small and sad. Barnaby dithered for a moment, torn between trying to soothe Elliot, or leaving the room to give him some privacy. He finally rose from the chair to settle on his knees next to the bed, murmuring softly in the Draenei tongue.

For several minutes, Elliot cried, his fear and helplessness at the disappearance of his parents all rushing out. Soots seemed to comprehend his loss, and rubbed her head against his side. He couldn’t understand the words the draenei was murmuring, but somehow, the foreign language made it more calming.

Elliot had lost track of the time when he’d cried himself out. His eyes were blurry, and his nose was leaking. Barnaby rumbled sympathetically, then fished in his pocket for his handkerchief.

“I’m pathetic,” Elliot cracked out, as more tears slid down his face. “All I can manage to do is get myself captured...”

“Sa, sa, Elliot. Look up.” 

Elliot raised his face. Carefully, Barnaby dabbed away the tears with the handkerchief. “There’ll be no more talk like that. You are a brave elf.” He raised a brow. “No one knows these lands better than myself. If your parents are anywhere around here, we’ll find them.”

Elliot sat up straighter, blinking rapidly in disbelief. “You really mean that? You’d help me?”

“Sure. Why not.” The ends of Barnaby’s mouth twitched in a way that might have almost been a smile.

Elliot swallowed, and nodded. “Thank you, Mister Barnaby.”

“We’ll talk about it more later.” Barnaby rose to his hooves. Seeing the look of relief and gratitude that had settled over the boy’s features, he decided in that moment that he would avoid thinking about how difficult such an endeavor might be. “I’ve got animals to take care of. You’re free to stay here as long as you need.”

Elliot watched the draenei’s back wonderingly as the other man disappeared through the bedroom doorway. He laid back against the pillows, the black cat purring against him. For the first time in a long time, he allowed himself to feel hopeful once more.


End file.
